In the Cover of Darkness
by Alejux
Summary: Max's implant brings terrifying consequences. Shippiness, Action and Terror. (Revised)
1. Chapter I - Complications

Author's note : This is my second attempt for a fanfic Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters described in here, and I'm not making any money with it. I'm actually loosing it. :) 

In this version, I was able to correct some grammatical errors from my previous post.   


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In the Cover of Darkness 

Epilogue   
It's been two days since Max collapsed into a coma. According to Dr. Saiko, who was indicated by Sebastian as being one of the leading nano-biologist researchers in the world, the implant was still partially active, re-assembling itself gradually into her neural pathways, causing her nervous system not to work properly.

  
_Thankfully, Dr. Saiko was very familiar with the technology behind the Red series implant, since it was he, one of the pioneers in the development of bio-active nano-assemblers, which is the core technology behind the Reds._

_Another irony, was that the only thing that could save Max, was another implant. This one would be temporary. It would produce specific nanites that would travel through her bloodstream and interact directly with original implant, slowly restoring her neural pathways._   
  
  
  


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CHAPTER 1   
  


Logan sat in the hallway, at Sebastian's place, looking blankly at the floor, moving his fingers in a repetitive motion, playing with the brakes from his wheelchair. Every once in a while, he would glance at the door that led to the operating room, expecting to see it move. But it never did. The procedure was taking too long. It's been 3 hours already since they started introducing the implant in Max. 

"It's taking too long...", said Logan despondently. 

"Patience Logan. Sebastian said the procedure could take hours", said Bling, who was seating on the opposite side of the hallway, next to Original Cindy. 

"My boo is one tough lady. If anyone can make it through that b!tch implant, it is she!" said Original Cindy, trying hard to sound confident, but failing so. 

They were sitting there for hours in silence. Waiting. None of them wanting to say anything. There was nothing to be said. All they could do was endure the weight of that silence, which was becoming more and more intolerable. 

Suddenly, after what seemed like aeons, the silence was broken once more, as Dr. Saiko exited the operating room, slowly removing his surgical mask. Logan tried immediately to read the Dr.'s face, hoping to find any hint of a smile on it. But there was none...   
  


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"Doctor! How was it? How's Max?" asked Logan with pure panic in his voice. 

"It went as planned Mr. Cale. Her condition is stabilized, but as I told you before, we won't know until a day or two whether the implant will have the desired effect" said Dr. Saiko, who's expression was a mixture of confidence and concern altogether. "All we can do now is wait until she wakes up" suddenly the doctors voice took a more concerned tone "Off course, as you've been told, there is a possibility that her body will reject the implant causing her neural system to stop functioning". 

As a response, nobody said anything. Logan just nodded slowly in agreement, focusing his stare away from the doctor. "Can I take her home?" he asked trying to keep his voice calm. 

The doctor nodded and said "In a couple of hours". Continuing he said, "I gave her some medication to reduce the risk of side effects that maybe caused by the implant." 

"What side effects?" asked Logan 

"Well. This procedure isn't exactly a common one, but it has been known to cause some temporary mental confusion, extreme nightmares, and sometimes even hallucinations" answered the doctor glancing from Logan to Original Cindy and Bling. Returning to Logan he continued "Taking her home may be a good idea in case she does suffer from mental confusion. In those cases, it's always better when the patient is located in a familiar and friendly environment. But you might think of keeping her under a close watch, in case she tries to get out of bed or anything. She must rest OK?" 

"You can bet your scientific ass, that nobody here is going to take their eyes off my boo!" jumped in Original Cindy making the doctor stare back at her with a face that was a mixture of shock and amusement. 

Logan smiled a little and shook his head slightly at OC's comment, then turning to Bling he said "Bling, do me a favor and go back to the apartment and get the guest bedroom ready. OK?" 

"I'm right on it Logan" said Bling before turning around and leaving.   
  
  
  
  
  



	2. Chapter II - Worrying

Chapter 2 CHAPTER 2   
  


Logan sat beside his guestroom bed, looking at an unconscious Max. 'She looks so peaceful now...' he thought. "Wake up Max..." he whispered softly to himself, "Wake up my sleeping beauty". He reached forward and touched her face, gently caressing her forehead and her cheeks with the back of his hand. "Would a kiss bring you back to me?". 

The pain of uncertainty was unbearable. Ever since the day before, when they brought her from Sebastian's, she had not awakened. She would sometimes lay still, like she was now, and at other times, her body would start to contort and twist , giving the impression that she was in a huge amount of pain, or maybe living some hellish nightmare. 

"How's she doing?" asked Original Cindy in a low voice as she walked into the room. 

"No change" answered Logan taking his eyes from Max only for a brief moment to look at a clearly worried Original Cindy. 

"Look Cindy, you and Bling are here for hours straight... you two should go home and rest, I can take care of Max. It's OK..." said Logan, who also felt more tired himself than he would want to admit. 

"We're not going anywhere until my boo wakes up" answered Cindy with an annoyed look in her face. 

"I second that!" cried out Bling as he was entering the room. 

With a conforming expression, Logan sighed "Fine. I guess I can't try to talk you guys out of this, hum?" 

"Nope. Besides, you wouldn't be able to help Max all by yourself in case something bad happened", said Bling, making a discrete gesture towards the wheelchair, almost instantly regretting it. 

Logan glared at him. His first impulse was to yell at his friend, but something held him back. It was the realization that Bling was right. He would never be able to carry Max to Sebastian's in case something did happen. It was at times like these, when he saw himself helpless to help Max, because of his deficiency, that he felt most frustrated. Instead of saying anything, he just went back and leaned to the bed where Max was, and resumed caressing her. 

Original Cindy and Bling exchanged glances, and started leaving the room as they came to a silent and mutual understanding that Logan needed to be alone with her. "We'll make some soup for you Logan, you look worst than Normal after drinking Herbal's special Jamaican coffee" said OC already half out of the room. 

He resumed to slowly whisper to himself and her, 

"_You have to get better Max._

_I wouldn't know what to do without you._

_You're not just my friend, deep inside you and I know that.___

_You're the reason I wake up every morning._

_My first and the last thought of the day._

_I only wish I had the courage before, to tell you how I felt._

_To ignore my insecurities, and simply pull you down into my lap, embrace you, and kiss you. Kiss your wonderful lips._

_Wake up my beloved._

_You have to get better._

_You have to give me another chance..._"   
  


The emotion of the moment was too great, as small drops of tears began to run down his face, finally descending upon the bed sheets.   
  


"Come back to me...".   
  
  
  



	3. Chapter III - Nightmares

CHAPTER 4 CHAPTER 3   
  


Even before she opened her eyes, Max knew where she was. She could sense it. She could smell the damp walls surrounding her, and hear the low humming of electronic equipments. She knew she was back in the cold hell she had feared for all her life. She was back at Manticore. 

Slowly opening her eyes, she started glancing around the room, having a difficult time to focus her vision. She knew they had given her some kind of drug. Becoming more aware of the environment, she realized she was in some sort of lab. Lifting her head trying to fight dizziness, she saw herself wearing nothing but a gown, with her hands strapped down to the side of the bed, making her feel helpless and exposed. 

Panic started to fill her soul, as all those memories of hell started flashing in her mind... 

...young Mika being autopsied... Eva being shot... the torturous experiments, as her arms and legs were broken...the beatings she suffered from her training officers...the coldness...the fear... 

She would rather die then to stay there. 

Her thoughts were interrupted as she noticed a doctor leaning close to her, holding her arm with one hand and a large seringe in the other one. She had to act fast. It was her last chance. 

Using all her super human strength, she broke off of the straps that were holding her. She could see the look of panic in the doctor's face, as she pulled his head close to her chest placing one hand in his chin and the other one the back of his skull, and finally in one swift move, she heard the sickening sound of his neck braking. She let go, feeling a little disgusted as his body slided slowly out of the bed, making a thud as it hit the floor. 

There was no going back now. She didn't like killing. Every time she killed, she felt like she was loosing a small part of what was left of her humanity. But she knew she had no choice. If she stayed there, she would end up loosing all humanity. She would eventually forget what it was like ever being human. Having friends. Loving. She would forget Logan... 

Lifting herself out of bed, she felt her legs weaken. She was still drugged. Glancing around, she looked for something she could use as a weapon. On the side of the bed, she could see a tray with surgical instruments, so she reached out and grabbed a scalpel. She was going to leave or die. She would not go without a fight. 

. . . . . . 

Using her acute hearing, Max could sense someone approaching the lab. Quickly and silently, she placed herself near the entrance, with her back glued to the wall. She knew they must have seen her through the security cameras, and it was only a matter of time before the whole place would be filled with Manticore soldiers. She had to act fast. 

The soldier never knew what hit him, as Max plunged the surgical instrument in the back of his neck, severing his spinal cord instantly. Even before the soldier's body tumbled to ground, Max was already aware of the others coming in from the outside. Thinking fast, using all her strength, she jumped upwards near the corridor that led to the doorway, and placed herself 8 feet from the floor, setting herself strait, so her hands touched one side of the corridor and her feet touched the other one. This way, she would be able to surprise whoever it was that came from the outside. 

She didn't have to wait long; cause in a moment's notice, a burly guard came running in holding a gun in his hand. She quickly dropped to the ground and in blurry movement kicked the gun away. Seeing this, the guard launched forward at Max, trying to get a hold of her, only to find air instead. Max took advantage of her opponents pathetic attempt to grab her, and was able to move out of the way and place a kick in his back sending him straight out of the room. But the guard wouldn't give up, and Max knew that she was in no condition to wrestle a 250 pound army soldier. She had to get out of there fast, so she waited until he stood up and placed an extremely fast and precise blow to his throat. He stood there with his hands in his throat, and eyes wide open, gasping desperately for air. She knew she'd broken his trachea, and it would only a matter of minutes before he was dead. She couldn't let guilt interfere now. It was either kill or be killed. 

Looking at the spacious hallway in front of her, she could see a door at the other end. She started running towards it. She could hear all sorts of noises coming from the outside. Sirens, dogs and footsteps. They were coming for her. 

As she made it to the middle of the hallway, her legs started to give in. It was getting harder and harder for her to move. Finally, when she felt she couldn't stand anymore, she collapsed to the ground. She lied there, not being able to move. Hearing the footsteps getting closer and closer. It was all over for her. Finally, loosing conscience, darkness became her. 


	4. Chapter IV - Terror

A/N: My MS-Word broke down, so I couldn't spell check it, so there may be some spelling errors CHAPTER 4   
  


Once more, Max drifted slowly to conscience. She felt her face pressed against a hard surface. Opening her eyes, squinting, to avoid the clarity that came from the room, she saw herself lying face down on a wooden floor. As she tried to raise herself, she felt a sharp pain emanating from the back of her neck. Ignoring the pain, and some feelings of dizziness, she let herself up, only to realize that she had been lying on the floor, in the middle of Logan's living room. 

Still confused, she pushed her hair away from her face, only to notice that something in her hands didn't feel right. A deep chill ran down her spine, and all the way to the bottom of her soul, as realized that her hands were soaked in blood. 

She stood there frozen in the moment, reliving with horror the images from the dream she had, where she had found herself back at Manticore. Now here she was, standing in the middle of Logan's living room, with blood on her hands. 

She gathered all her strength, and started to turn around slowly, trying not to face the horrible possibilities that kept springing in her mind. She walked in slow mechanic paces, trying to clear her mind of all thoughts. 

As she came near the rooms she saw Bling. Lying lifeless with his back to the floor, holding his throat with one of his hands // Images from the dream when she broke the guard's trachea flashed in front of her eyes //. 

Desperation took hold of every part of her body, with the realization of what she had done. Trying to keep legs from faltering, she burst into the guestroom, only to find Original Cindy, her best friend, lying in a pool of blood, with a pointy object, a pen, sticking out of her neck. 

She knelt down near her boo, and started gently caressing her friend's face with the back of her hand, trying desperately to feel warmth in it. But there was none. She stayed there near her friend, for what seemed like ages, in a semi-catatonic state. 

She didn't want to look around the room. She knew what she was going to find. And she knew that her soul would not take it. It would be the loss of all hope for her. As long as she didn't see him, hope would always exist in some small part of her mind. But she had to. 

Gliding her gaze across the room, she froze at the site of Logan's wheelchair, empty on the other side of the bed. Using all the strength that was left in her, she raised herself and walked slowly to the where the chair was. 

There he was... 

His once beautiful blue eyes, were now lifeless, staring blankly at the ceiling. 

Max sat down next to him, and gently placed a kiss on his now cold lips. Then pulling his body to hers, she held his face tightly to her chest and started rocking him slowly back and fourth, weeping. She wept silently at first, then louder. And finally, when all the suffering in her soul exploded, she did something she'd never done before. 

She screamed.   
  


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Outside, in the hallway of the penthouse in Foggle Towers, and in some the apartments below, a loud gutural scream was heard.   
  
  
  



	5. Chapter V - Light

Logan felt his heart racing, as he layed spread out on the floor CHAPTER 5   
  


Logan felt his heart racing, as he lay there, spread out on the floor. He was still in shock, with his eyes wide-open, trying desperately to regain his breath. 

The last thing he remembered, was that he had been trying hard not to fall asleep while looking out for Max, who was lying restlessly on his guestroom bed. He hadn't slept for almost two days now, so he would occasionally find himself drifting to sleep, only to wake frightened at some slight movement on the bed in front of him. 

He had been in one of those moments, finding himself gone to the world, with his head down, drooling over his blue cashmere sweater, when it happened.... 

...SCREAM 

He woke up to the loudest scream he'd ever heard. 

His awakening was so brutal and frightening, that he involuntarily flinched his body backwards violently, making his wheelchair rock, sending him to fall helplessly with his back to the ground. 

There he laid, for what seemed like ages, in shock and confusion, gasping for air. Attempting to make sense to what had just happened. 

'_...Max...scream...implant...Max...fell...wheelchair_' 

When suddenly, before he could realize, he found himself staring upwards in to Max's beautiful face. She was looming over him, with her face less than a foot from his. Her eyes were full of tears. She had an intense emotional expression, which could be described as a mixture of surprise, joy, pain, sadness and guilt, all put together. 

They stayed there for seconds, frozen, looking at each other. 

Before Logan began to open his mouth to say something, Max quickly lowered her face and took his mouth in hers in one intense and passionate kiss. Logan, soon recovered from the shock, and gave in to kiss, slowly exploring her mouth as she explored his. 

When they broke off, he found himself once more gasping for air "Max...I..". She interrupted him once more, this time by lifting his upper-body a little and holding him with a big tight hug. She held him tightly. Any tighter and he would have some broken ribs, he thought. He could feel her face touching his, and the heat that came from her feverish skin, while he heard her cry with an almost childlike voice "Logan...I would never hurt you...". 

Not knowing exactly what to make of what he heard, he just whispered "It's OK Max, everything is OK now.." gently caressing the back of her head. Knowing that she probably had just woken up from some terrible nightmare, he continued to whisper "It was just a nightmare, everything is going to be alright...". 

She broke the embrace, and continued to stare back down at him. Using the back of her hand to wipe away the tears in her eye. Her face suddenly turned into a smirk and she asked "Logan. May I ask? What are you doing lying on the floor?" using one of her regular sarcastic tones. 

Logan couldn't help but smile, seeing his old Max back, and tried to return the sarcasm. "I was tired... and this seemed like a good place as any to crash, besides..." before he could end what he was saying, she kissed him again, hard. 

When it ended, Logan smiled, looking up at the beautiful angel on top of him. 

"You know Max, it's not very polite to interru..." he started saying, when she again smiled and interrupted his speech with another kiss. 

This time they kissed until they ran out of breath. Or at least until Logan did. 

As they continued to smile to each other, looking intensely into each other's eyes, her face suddenly acquired a concerned look, as she asked in an anxious voice "Original Cindy...Bling...". 

"They just left to buy some food. They should be here any minute now...", said Logan trying to calm her, which apparently worked, since a smile returned to her face. He continued "Which makes me think, that it would put us in a pretty awkward situation if they just came in through the door right now". 

She laughed a little, and they stayed there, smiling at each other, until she finally broke the silence and said "C'mon, let me help you get up" looking at him half expecting one of those famous 'I-can-do-it-by-my-self' remarks. But before he could give any reaction she continued "It's only fair you let me help you, since it's because of me you're there in the first place". 

Any other day, he would have refused her help. But not today. Today, he was powerless against her. He had no strength to deny her anything. Hell, he would even give Zack a big kiss on the cheek if she asked him to. 

She flipped the wheelchair to its right position, and putting her hands under his arms, she lifted him from the floor helping him to the chair. After that, she collapsed tired on the bed, never once taking her eyes off of him. 

"Max, Dr. Saiko said you need to rest. The worst part is over, but you still have a fever" said Logan with a concerned tone in his voice. 

She lay there on the bed, with a small and content smile on her face. Still not wanting to take her eyes off of his "Stay here with me Logan" she spoke softly. 

"I'm not going anywhere Max" he answered. 

Her smile suddenly turned into a mischievous grin, as she again "Stay here with me Logan". 

He swallowed dry, as he finally catched her meaning. "I want you to hold me Logan, and I want to hold you" she said. There was almost a pleading tone to her voice. 

Without ever taking his eyes off of her, he helped himself onto the bed, pulling himself close to her. Together, they remained lost in each other's eyes, caressing each other's faces, only to finally embrace again in another passionate kiss. 

Logan thought of telling her now, how much he loved her. But he knew he didn't have to. Not anymore. And neither did she. 'This is what heaven must be like..', they thought in unison. Who would have thought that hell would be the one to lead them to it.   
  


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Original Cindy was not the kind of girl, who would get emotional over romantic love scenes. In fact, she took pride being cool about it. But now, she was having a hard time keeping her eyes from tearing, as she and Bling, stood by the doorway, looking at Max and Logan, sleeping on the bed, in an embrace known only by lovers. 

"It was about time" 

"It was about time" 

Said OC and Bling, at the same time, only to laugh at each other as they closed the door and headed out towards the kitchen.   
  


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THE END (depending if I get enough reviews, if I don't', then I'll have to write another chapter called 'The Terror Continues' ;) 

PS: See, I'm not so evil after all. 


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